Aviation

Vietnamese airline’s 2018 bikini calendar may set pulses racing

HANOI/SINGAPORE according to Reuters – Vietnam’s VietJet Aviation said on Thursday it was standing by a controversial “bikini” calendar, a marketing ploy featuring scantily clad female models that has prompted criticism in conservative Southeast Asia and beyond.

The annual calendar, which has gone viral online, is part of a broader marketing push by VietJet that has propelled the start-up airline’s rapid growth, as it has taken market share from Vietnam Airlines.

VietJet risks isolating themselves from expansion into conservative markets

The publication of the 2018 calendar – which critics say overly sexualizes the image of flight attendants and other airline staff – comes as there is a growing debate in the global airlines industry about sexual harassment and in-flight assault of both passengers and employees.

VietJet, founded by Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao – Vietnam’s first female billionaire and one of a handful of women running a major airline globally – said the calendar emphasized free choice of people to wear whatever they wanted.

The racy shoot will no doubt raise some eyebrows in Vietnam

“We are not upset when people associate us with the bikini image. If that makes people delighted and happy, then we’ll be happy,” Luu Duc Khanh, VietJet’s managing director, said in emailed comments to Reuters.

When asked about the views of Thao, Khanh said the CEO thought people “have the right to wear whatever they like, bikini or traditional ao dai”, referring to the traditional Vietnamese long dress.

The calendar features models from around the world, such as 20-year-old American Celine Farach

The calendar has caused an online storm in Vietnam, with some people criticizing and others defending the campaign. The 2018 calendar and a YouTube video of the photo shoot have been viewed more than 910,000 times since first appearing at the end of last month.

“I think (the calendar) is beautiful, not unpleasant at all,” one user posted on Facebook under the avatar Mai Co. Another person, named as Van Nhi, said the airline was “creating scandal to gain attention. It’s getting more unpleasant.”

Critics say VietJet’s risqué marketing, including the calendar and bikini fashion shows on board planes, presented an archaic and sexist image of cabin crew, even as the risk of harassment and assault go widely underreported.

VietJet is “taking us back 50 years by hyper-sexualizing a female dominated work group in order to make a few bucks off a couple of cheesy calendars,” said Heather Poole, a veteran U.S. flight attendant and author of a book about working the not-always-friendly skies.

Related Topics:bikini cabin crew vietjet

Aviation

Boeing Resumes 737 MAX Manufacturing After Seven-Week Strike

In a crucial move for its recovery, Boeing has restarted production of its best-selling 737 MAX jetliner, about a month after a significant seven-week strike involving 33,000 factory workers came to an end.

This marks a key milestone for the planemaker, which has been facing considerable challenges in recent years, including heavy debt and a series of setbacks.

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According to the report from Reuters, Boeing resumed the production of the 737 MAX jetliner last week, a pivotal step as the company aims to meet the growing global demand for air travel. With over 4,200 orders from airlines, Boeing’s ability to get the 737 MAX production line back in motion is vital for its financial recovery.

Although Boeing had previously planned to restart production earlier, the company faced numerous obstacles that delayed this process. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head Mike Whitaker told Reuters on Thursday that while Boeing had not yet resumed production, they had plans to restart by the end of the month.

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The road to this point has been rocky for Boeing. Setbacks such as the tragic fatal crashes of the 737 MAX, the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing supply chain issues, production safety concerns, and increased regulatory scrutiny have all contributed to delays in the company’s efforts to ramp up production.

The seven-week strike, which involved thousands of Boeing’s factory workers, added yet another hurdle. Despite these challenges, production of the 737 MAX officially resumed on Friday, according to one of the anonymous sources.

Boeing, however, declined to comment on the matter. The planemaker is now focused on reaching its goal of producing 56 737 MAX airplanes per month, a target that has been delayed due to the many issues that have beset the company over the past few years.